Welcome to My Music Mondays, the basic premise is that each week I will be delving into my music collection and looking at a new artist going somewhat randomly currently but eventually (probably not) from A to Z. I’ll examine why I first started listening to them, my favorite album and my top 10 songs for the artist. As my music collection is pretty extensive and I have a lot of one offs, I have set a qualification to be featured here. That is that I have to have at least two albums of the artist’s music before they can be considered. This week however, in honor of Final Fantasy XIII releasing tomorrow I am going a little off the trail by doing a full on Final Fantasy Edition.

One of the things, quite possibly my favorite thing in fact, about the Final Fantasy series has always been its music. Composer Nobuo Uematsu is one of my gaming heroes and whenever he is involved in a game I am generally not to far behind salivating like a dog. His music was/is the music of my gaming life and hearing certain pieces brings me back to a simpler time where life was just me and my NES.

As time progressed his music got more and more complex, presenting me with some of the most memorable pieces in my library of music games. Final Fantasy VII was the first game soundtrack I tracked down, not an easy feat for a North American fan at the time it was released and it was well worth it. Uematsu left Square Enix in 2004 and has had limited input on the series since his departure only contributing the main theme for Final Fantasy XII and having no input on the soundtrack for XIII at all. I am actually slightly worried about XIII as Masashi Hamauzu is the main composer and I am not a huge fan of his contributions to the Final Fantasy X score. However this isn’t a My Music Monday: Nobuo Uematsu, it is My Music Monday: Final Fantasy. So…

Ah screw it, Uematsu’s music is the heart and soul of the series. And while I think Hitoshi Sakimoto did a fine job with the Final Fantasy XII soundtrack, that game was set in Ivalice where Sakimoto is king (having scored Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story). Uematsu’s scores are the most iconic and memorable of the series and I am quite happy to hear that he is returning to it, even if it is for the online only Final Fantasy XIV.

Favorite Soundtrack: Final Fantasy VII

I am not going to argue that the VII soundtrack is the best. In fact it does not hold many of my favorite Final Fantasy pieces but it was my first game soundtrack and for that it holds a special place in my heart.

10 Favorite Songs

10. Behind the Door (FF IX)
9. One-Winged Angel (FF VII)
8. Liberi Fatali (FF VIII)
7. Battle Scene (FF I)
6. Ami (FF VIII)
5. Aerith’s Theme (FF VII)
4. Zanarkand (FF X)
3. Matoya’s Cave (FF I)
2. Final Fantasy (FF V)
1. Symphonic Suite Final Fantasy: Scene III (FF I)

What are some of your favorite Final Fantasy tracks?